


Never have I ever…. been locked in a supply closet

by ladyblah



Category: Never Have I Ever (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, One Shot, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:41:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23924797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyblah/pseuds/ladyblah
Summary: Alternate to episode 1x05.
Relationships: Ben Gross/Devi Vishwakumar
Comments: 44
Kudos: 507





	Never have I ever…. been locked in a supply closet

“I think we’re safe, let’s just wait out in here.” Devi exhales and leans back against the wall, which… rattles? She flicks on the light and sees bottles of alcohol lining the shelves.

“Uh, jackpot!” Ben raises his hand to Devi’s for a high five, half in disbelief. They quickly start scanning the wine and spirits, picking out anything with an interesting label (neither of them willing to admit they don’t know anything about alcohol).

“How much do we need?” Ben asks, placing a box of beer under his arm.

“For 15 nerds who’ve probably never had a drink before? The vodka alone would probably do it,” says Devi. “Let’s just take what we’ve got before someone finds – _shit._ ”

Devi frantically tries the door handle but it won’t budge. A frustrated Ben pushes her aside. “Hold this,” he says shoving a box of beer under her arm, “you’re not doing it right.” She takes a box from him as he uses his free hand to try the handle himself. It’s definitely locked.

“Told you,” says Devi.

“Shit, this isn’t good,” says Ben, a hint of panic to his voice. “How did this even happen? It was unlocked when I opened it, you must’ve done something weird when you closed it.”

“When _I_ closed it? You shut the door behind me!” Devi places her bottles back on the nearest shelf. “We don’t have time for this. Just text someone in the team to come get us. Make sure to mention I’m in here – you alone might not be enough to inspire a rescue mission.”

Ben doesn’t move.

“Relax, it was a joke.”

“I don’t have anyone’s numbers,” says Ben.

Devi’s eyes widen. “How is that possible? You’ve been in the same Model UN group for as long as I can remember.”

“That doesn’t make them my friends.”

“Oh my god,” she slumps down to the floor, “your horrible personality ruins everything.”

“You’re the one that got us into this mess in the first place, if you didn’t have to prove to everyone how “popular” you are.”

“Look,” she interrupts him, shutting her eyes in frustration, “they’ll need to restock the bar eventually right? So let’s just wait it out.”

Ben thinks about this for a moment. “Okay, but what if-

“Preferably in _silence_.” Devi slips her off blazer and gets comfortable. “You can sit over there being weird while I sit over here distracting myself on Instagram and-”

She hears the unmistakeable sound of a beer can opening. She looks up to see Ben drinking.

“What the hell are you doing!?”

“What does it look like?” he says, taking a seat on the floor opposite her. “I’m trapped in a very small, very hot supply closet with my mortal enemy. I’m gonna need all the help I can to get through.”

He sits with his back against one of the shelves. It’s as far away from her as he can get, but the small space means they still need to angle their legs so their feet don’t touch.

Annoyed, but understanding Ben’s logic, Devi reaches for nearest shelf and grabs a can of beer too. She winces at her first sip, remembering how she doesn’t like the taste at all.

“You don’t drink very much do you,” Ben smirks.

She ignores his remark and goes back to her phone.

Half an hour goes by in happy silence – Devi scrolling through her Instagram while Ben reorganises the spirits by their alcohol content. That is, until Devi’s phone battery runs out and she no longer has something to distract her.

She groans, putting her dead phone back in her pocket. “This is so not how I wanted to spend tonight.”

Ben let’s out a sigh. “Yeah I have to admit, a party actually sounded kind of fun.”

“Do you ever miss parties from when we were younger?” she asks. “I mean, teen parties are great, but it’s a lot of standing around pretending to like the taste of beer, whereas before we’d at least play games like Never Have I Ever and Spin the Bottle.”

“What the hell is Never Have I Ever?”

“Are you joking?” Devi asks, incredulously. “The title’s pretty self-explanatory, Ben. One person says something they haven’t done before, and other people reveal if they have done it.”

“Sounds lame.”

“You’re only saying that because no one ever asked you to play it. It’s actually super fun, it’s how you find out juicy gossip about your friends.”

“How so?” Ben asks, intrigued now.

“Well, one person could be like, ‘Never have I ever… stolen something from the mall.’ Then the people that have stolen something from the mall raise their hand. It works as a drinking game too.”

“I think I get it,” he says. “So like, if I said, never have I ever gotten a B on a biology test, you would...”

Devi rolls her eyes as Ben nods towards the beer can in her hands.

“Yes, I would have to drink,” she says sourly. “But you know that test was bullshit! Anyway, it’s meant to be a fun game. Forget it.”

“You’re right,” says Ben, sitting up straight. “That was a cheap shot. We’re in an enclosed space so I’ll try not to provoke you.” He closes his eyes in thought. “Okay, I got one. Never have I ever snuck out of the house.”

Devi rolls her eyes and drinks again. “You already know that I have. The idea is to ask things you don’t know. Like, never have I ever done drugs.”

“What kind of drugs?” he asks.

“Does it matter?”

“I once accidentally took a double dose of pain relief meds when I first got my braces.”

Devi shakes her head. Ben drinks.

Another half hour goes by and they haven’t yet broken into an argument – a new record for them. Devi is impressed with Ben’s newfound enthusiasm for the game, and in exchange is trying her best to display a modicum of patience with him.

It’s Ben’s turn. “Never have I ever cheated on a test.” He narrows his eyes at Devi.

Devi throws her arms up, annoyed. “Neither have I.”

“ _Really_?” he says. “Not even on that English essay you wrote last semester on 19th century feminist literature? I mean you’re smart but not _that_ smart.”

“Well turns out I am, because I did write it. I’ll take your insulting question as a compliment.”

He reaches for another beer and hands a fresh one to Devi too.

“Enough school-based questions,” she says. “We’re both too nerdy to have any interesting answers on that topic. What about… oh I got one! Never have I ever skinnydipped.”

Ben smirks and doesn’t drink. “Me neither. I don’t even like changing in the school locker rooms, what makes you think I’d swim in the nude?”

Devi gives a soft chuckle, “Prude.”

“Never have I ever smoked a cigarette,” says Ben, ignoring her last comment.

“Neither have I.”

He tries again. “Never have I ever been drunk.”

“You’re drunk right now!”

“No way,” he says, swaying a little.

“Oh yeah? A sober Ben would be able to tell me the first 50 digits of pi.”

Ben scoffs. “3.14159….264… no! I mean 265 … there’s a 9 in there somewhere…”

“Drink!”

They both take a swig of their beers, while Ben uses his free hand to loosen his tie. Devi had to admit that seeing him there, all relaxed with his sleeves rolled to his elbows and the scowl no longer on his face, he actually looked kinda cute.

“My turn,” he begins. “Never have I ever kissed someone of the same gender.”

“Ben, gender is a social construct.”

Ben groans. “Same _sex_ , you know what I mean.”

Devi takes a small sip as Ben’s eyes light up with intrigue. “Really?” he asks, moving across the floor so that he’s sitting next to her against the door. He smells like sandalwood, fresh grass and vodka – a surprisingly pleasant combination. “ _Who?_ ” he probes.

“I don’t have to tell you, that’s not part of the game.”

“Eleanor? Fabiola?”

“They’re my best friends, of course not!”

He keeps staring at her waiting for an answer. She sighs and gives in. “If you must know, it was Shira.”

“Shira!” He’s suddenly very loud. “ _My_ Shira?”

“Eighth grade. Spin the bottle at Joey Martinez’s 13th birthday party.”

“Wow. So what you’re saying is…we’ve made out with the same girl.”

“We _kissed,_ we did not make out,” Devi corrects him. “I’ve never made out with anybody.”

“Other than Paxton you mean.”

“Right. Obviously.” She can’t help but sound a little sad, knowing her only interesting answer all night had been a lie. Ben looks confused for a second before going back to smirking.

“ _Devi and Shira_. That’s so random. And kinda hot.”

“Okay, moving on, perv,” says Devi. “Never have I ever sent a nude selfie.”

“Now who’s the perv,” Ben says as he drinks. Devi’s mouth falls agape.

“I didn’t actually think you’d drink!” she says. Ben shrugs.

“I don’t get you at all,” she adds. “You’re not cool with swimming naked but you’re happy to snap pictures of your junk and send them into cyberspace!? What if Shira saves it to the cloud or sends it to her friends?”

“Shira can barely operate a TV remote,” Ben says dismissively. “I think I’m safe.” Devi laughs.

“Wait,” Ben adds. “You _haven’t_ sent a nude? That’s surprising. Paxton seems like a guy who asks for them and posts them all over his bedroom wall like a serial killer.”

“No,” Devi scoffs. “Paxton’s a gentleman.”

Ben rolls his eyes. “I’ll take your word for it. Okay, another one: never have I ever watched porn.”

Now Devi rolls her eyes. “Bullshit.”

“No really, I haven’t!” he says earnestly. “If you must know, I find the portrayal of women in most pornography completely degrading and a total turnoff.”

“Well aren’t you just a sensitive, woke prince,” she retorts, painfully sarcastically.

He looks at her and smiles, “I notice you haven taken a drink either.”

“That’s because I haven’t watched porn,” she says.

He narrows his eyes on her. “Fine. Never have I ever _read_ porn.”

Her cheeks flush. “Still no,” she lies.

“Devi, come on – I saw that dog eared copy of _'After'_ fall from your backpack last year. Don’t be shy, we’re all friends here.”

“You’re not my friend,” she teases, and takes a drink.

“That brings me to my follow up question” he continues. “Never have I ever…” he hesitates for a second before carefully saying “ _self-loved_.”

“Self-loved? What the hell does that— _Oh_.” She can’t bring herself to make eye contact with him but knows he’s giving her his trademark shit-eating smirk. The heat in her cheeks intensifies. “Um. No, me neither.”

“Devi,” Ben sighs, “do we need to start a new game where we drink when we lie?”

“I’m not lying!”

“This game was your idea,” he adds.

“I know.”

“Am I playing it wrong?”

“No, but-”

“Do you wanna stop?” he asks her. “Admit defeat?”

At that, she turns her head and looks at him defiantly. She realises how close they’re sitting next to each other, and for the first time she can see his eyes up close. Usually they keep their distance, or if he’s in close proximity she’s too busy rolling her own eyes to take any notice of his facial features. But here in this particular moment when he wasn’t berating her, she could see that his eyes were surprisingly sweet and soulful, and were an incredible, deep sea blue. But she wouldn’t let herself be distracted by that now.

“If you haven’t,” she deflects “then why is that so hard to believe that I haven’t?”

“I don’t _self-love,_ ” he begins confidently, “because I don’t watch porn and my imagination isn’t that good. I’m too analytical. Whereas we’ve established that you do watch porn – sorry, _read_ porn – so it stands to reason that it must be doing something for you…”

His gaze on her is very direct. It’s not making her uncomfortable exactly, but he’s definitely making her feel something.

“And you had sex with Paxton,” he adds quickly. “So you’ve obviously masterbated.”

“I don’t see how you make that leap,” she says.

“Because girls are more sexually advanced than boys,” explains Ben. “Girls don’t dive into losing their virginity without exploring their own bodies first. They like to be able to tell guys what they like.”

“Maybe I didn’t have to explain to Paxton,” Devi says proudly. “He just knew.”

“Yeah right, because he’s so cool he can give women orgasms via telepathy?”

She knows he’s teasing her and doesn’t want to let him win. But she’s also feeling hot and bothered, partly from the small enclosed space they find themselves in, and partly from how intensely Ben’s looking at her. She gives into his interrogation and sips her drink. “Happy?”

“What do you see in that pretty boy anyway?” Ben asks, making no attempt to hide the disgust in his voice. “I mean, I get that he’s like conventionally attractive to girls or whatever, but is that it?”

“You know for someone who claims to hate him you sure seem interested in him,” says Devi.

“I just didn’t peg you as someone so shallow.”

“And I suppose you’re dating Shira the field hockey hottie for her _conversation_.”

“Why do you care?” Ben asks, matter-of-factly. He’s doing it again, staring at her intensely.

“I don’t,” she says quickly.

They sit in silence together for a moment.

“I just find the Paxton thing,” Ben goes on, “a little hard to believe. You don’t make the most natural couple-”

“Just stop, okay!” She can’t hide the hurt in her voice. “I’m well aware Paxton’s a bonafide hottie an I’m just a weird Indian girl with too much body hair and chubby thighs.”

“Devi, that’s not what I-”

“That point has been made to me repeatedly, I don’t need another reminder from you.” She folds her knees under herself and angles her body away from Ben. She hears him sigh as he shifts towards her.

“What I meant was,” he begins carefully, “I don’t think _he’s_ good enough for _you_. And for the record the only person in this room who thinks you’re ugly is you.”

“Ben,” she turns and locks eyes with him, furious. “You literally went around the entire school calling me _unfuckable_.”

He drops his gaze and looks at his feet, sighing.

“You’re right,” he says quietly. “Not my proudest moment. But come on, Devi, you’re not exactly spreading compliments about me!”

“I would never say anything that mean.”

“Right, only that you wish _nazis killed me_.”

Now it’s Devi’s turn to look ashamed. They both fidget with their beer cans uncomfortably until Ben breaks the awkward silence.

“Look, I’m sorry,” he exhales deeply. “You’re right, that was fucked up what I said.”

“I’m sorry too,” she says quietly.

“It’s not like I want to be a dick to you all the time,” Ben says, “it just...”

“Comes to you naturally?” she teases. Ben smiles back at her. A proper smile, probably the first one he’s ever given her and she realises _holy shit, Ben is hot_. She immediately pushes the thought out of her head. Well, she tries too – but they are sitting incredibly close together and that they haven’t broken eye contact for a solid 30 seconds.

“This might just be the alcohol talking so take it for what it’s worth” she says, “but I promise to try be nicer to you at school. Unless you do something to deserve it.”

He nods in acceptance. “I’ll try be nicer to you too. And to Eleanor and Fabiola.”

“And Paxton,” Devi adds.

Ben smirks. “Sure. And Paxton. At least until the next dumb jock comes along.”

“What does that mean?”

“Devi, it’s a well known fact that you get crushes on _everyone._ Practically a new guy every semester. Last semester it was that German exchange student.

“Karl? Oh yeah, I forgot about him… he said I could stay with him if I’m ever in Berlin.”

Ben shakes his head and chuckles. “See?”

“What, are you too cool for crushes?” she teases.

“No, I just tend to fall for one girl at a time,” Ben says quietly, staring at his feet. “Then that’s it. She’s all I can think about. I don’t want to flirt with other girls, or even talk to other girls. I just wanna be with her.”

He brings his gaze back up to Devi’s eyes and lips, and she self-consciously tucks her hair behind ears. _Get it together_ , she tells herself. _Paxton’s the one I want to be locked in a closet with. Don’t do anything stupid._

“Lucky Shira,” Devi says finally, angling her body away from Ben and dropping eye contact.

With that, Ben angles his body away from Devi too, and looks up to the ceiling as he exhales.

“Yeah,” he says quietly. “Lucky Shira.”


End file.
